White House/Middle East Policy Duplicity

    Please take the following items in the basic chronological order in which they are listed:

    Two years ago Osama bin Laden was killed, and President Obama stated that Al Qaeda was no longer a significant terrorist threat to the US.
    A year ago, four of our government employees were killed in Benghazi, Libya. A first explanation from the White House was that this was a result of rioting caused by publication of an anti-Muslim document. As the year rolled by, it now becomes clearer that this was a result of an Al Qaeda operation. The White House has not yet admitted this.
    A few months ago, the National Security Agency (NSA) was accused of improperly collecting average citizens' telephone records, which has no obvious connection with uncovering the identity of potential terrorists (Al Qaeda not specifically mentioned). The NSA program has caused considerable criticism, because of its violation of citizen Fourth Amendment rights. NSA has had considerable difficulty in justifying continuation of its program in the face of lacking real justification.
    Yesterday, the White House shut down 22 embassies and consulates in the Middle East, because of generally stated but unspecified terrorism threats. Those embassies/consulates should have been shut down quite a while ago, because citizens of those countries generally have not wanted the presence of American government within their borders. I have always been taught that if someone doesn't want you in their presence, you should leave. While it has not been directly mentioned in the embassy/consulate shutdowns, it is clear to me that the intent is to generate fear within the American public concerning an increase in terrorist activities, and likely contribute toward public support in continuing the NASA surveillance program involving innocent civilians record surveillance.